DRM: does Hollywood really care?

Probably the best-known example of a
DRM circumvention was the publication of
information on how to descramble CSS-encoded
DVDs. On November 1, 1999, Wiredreported,
"The worst fear of movie studios has been realized:
DVD movie encryption has been broken."

Did this worst fear actually have any effect on DVD
release schedules?

The
top grossing movies for 1998, before CSS
descrambling became widely known, took about a year
to come out in DVD format.

But what happened in 2000, when CSS removal
was common knowledge, at least if you read
certain technical publications? The top five
Top grossing movies for 2000 actually came out
sooner after theatrical release.

2003 is an key year, either the low point
if you're worrying about loss of control
over customers or a high point if you're a
DVD customer. DVD X Copy for Microsoft Windows went
on sale December 03, 2002 and wasn't
taken off the market until February 20, 2004.

So, is there any difference
in DVD release dates between the top
grossing movies of 2002, when DVD access was
still only for people who know their way around a C compiler,
and later? Let's see. Here's 2002:

Now, with that point-and-click circumvention tool
available to so many customers, wouldn't the top
grossing movies of 2003 stay out of DVD format
until the coast was clear? Nope. 2003 showed the
quickest turnarounds yet.

There is a possible interpretation that DVDs
are coming out earlier in order to compete with
infringing copies. But where are the infringing
copies coming from? If customer ability to copy DVDs
mattered, delaying DVD release would matter. But it
doesn't seem to. DRM in media sold to customers
is increasingly looking like a noisy, pointless
sideshow to a real infringement problem.

For the studios, backing DRM and technology mendates
only alienates the technical constituencies that are
first of all, sticklers for conventional copyright
law, and second, qualified to develop effective
policies and technology to enforce it.